Tails of the City, a Bay Area pet blog, has a great post about the origin of the phrase “curiosity killed the cat.” Turns out it was originally “care killed the cat,” with care meaning worry or sorrow. This could definitely apply to my cat, Jack, who has his fair share of neuroses, including what can only be described as a kitty panic attack that occurs when he can’t find his girlfriend, a fuzzy blue blanket that he humps several times a day.

If you follow cat news, you may have heard that last week the Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum announced that it had reached an agreement with various government agencies that would allow the famous Hemingway cats to continue to live there. Hemingway cats are cats with six toes descended from Snowball, a cat given to Hemingway in 1935. They look like this:
(photo by Rob O’Neal/AP)

But in researching Hemingway cats, I came across mention of another type of genetic mutation that can produce an animal referred to as . . . the squitten. No, it’s not a half squirrel/half kitten, but it is a cat with stunted forelegs that give it a slightly squirrel-like appearance.
The real name of the condition is radial hypoplasia, and it’s more commonly found in inbred cats (another reason that cat inbreeding is very very bad.)

Meet Urchin.
Gender: F
Hometown: Brooklyn, NY
Current Place of Residence: Greensboro, NC
Age/Coloring: Tortoiseshell, About four years old
Mom: My friend Lara
Means of Survival Before Finding Mama: McDonald’s trash, the kindness of strangers
Likes: Laying on Mama’s feet, shedding hair on her vintage furniture, Grandma’s old dollhouse, dudes.
Dislikes: When you do not pay attention to her.

In the midst of an article about a lovely Chicago family who takes in strays was this photo. What on earth could make a cat look like that? According to the article, it’s inbreeding, which makes looking at her almost more bizarre. If there was ever a reason to prevent cat incest . . .

The Houston SPCA has started up a program to find foster homes for Galveston animals that are refugees from Hurricane Ike. This article in the Houston Chronicle details a day in the life of one shelter where animals are both temporarily rescued as well as reunited with their owners. Little kitty and puppy orphans! I get teary-eyed just thinking about it.

He was a cat with many names. But Atkinson/ Fonzworthy/ Dave/ Ginger was also a cat that made his way into many hearts. A group of neighbors in Bath, England, “adopted” the stray years ago, and he roamed from house to house, spreading his love. To me, this is such an awesome story not just because it’s about an amazing cat but also because it’s about how he brought together his own little community, now complete with a Facebook memorial group.

Big thanks to my friend Heather for telling me about him. In her honor I chose to post the photo of him with a Doctor Who figurine.